Does the rising trend of young graduates seeking public service employment imply a more empathetic population and future?

According to a recent NY Times article, post-recession college graduates are turning to the public service for employment due to a lack of opportunity in the private sector. The article suggests the trend started, in part, before the recession, but that it is largely bolstered by it.

Do you think, though the situation is forced for some public sector applicants, that this will ultimately lead this generation to become more empathetic? Or, is increasing empathy implied in the change?

The article does not exclusively discuss employment in the civil service, so this conversation is not intended to spark debate about government intervention and the free market. However, what must be, must be.

Mar 4 2011:
It implies two very different notions. Firstly Gen Y and Millenials do tend to be much more oriented toward volunteerism and sustainability than Gen X and certainly more than Boomers. But it also reflects a reality that we're still building out of a recession and classic corporate jobs are scarce. Many companies are still holding a lot of cash on the sidelines. There's still too much uncertainty for companies to hire en masse.

Mar 4 2011:
A follow-up question could be, will the classic corporate job--the version of success and self-actualization that that would imply--ever regain its ideological hold it once had on the minds of young people, considering the tarnish it now bears?

Does it go without saying that as soon as those jobs are being supplied again that there will be demand?